Professional Graduate Programs:
MFR and MEH Degrees

The Master of Forest Resources (MFR)-Forest Management degree is a non-thesis degree designed to integrate knowledge and skills from technical disciplines with those from policy and management in ways suitable for professional leadership in the public, non-governmental, and private sectors; to create a collaborative and interdisciplinary learning environment that develops team approaches and leadership skills; and to present experiences needed for complex decision-making and create future managers capable of addressing the issues facing society and industry in the forest resources arena. The degree presumes a bachelor's degree in forestry or closely-related field, and can be completed in one calendar year. The degree program is accredited by the Society of American Foresters. Thus, graduates from the program may choose to apply for the SAF's Candidate Certified Forester (CCF) title since they automatically satisfy the educational requirements.

Program Requirements
The MFR (Forest Management) program is designed to be completed in one calendar year. It is a non-thesis program with emphasis on course work to develop the technical and managerial skills required of today's professionals and a capstone experience to reinforce and apply the material learned in the earlier courses. The program is structured into four broad categories:

Common, required coursework, 7 credits

SEFS 500 Graduate Orientation Seminar (1 cr)

SFES 550 Graduate Seminar (3 cr)

SEFS 526 Advanced Silviculture (3 cr)

In-depth topical areas distributed among the four topic areas required for SAF accreditation, 36 credits consisting of 2 courses in each area

All entering students are required to take the graduate orientation seminar (SEFS 500) and Advanced Silviculture (SEFS 526). If students have not had Principles of Silviculture (ESRM 428) or an equivalent course prior to starting the MFR, they must take this class for a total of nine credits. Each year, one Graduate Seminar (SEFS 550) will be devoted to topics of interest to MFR students.

To round out their educational experience, the students conduct a capstone project (5 credits) where they bring their skills to bear on a real-life project in collaboration with an outside client. Where appropriate, they act as an interdisciplinary team. This capstone course is seen as the crowning experience, preparing them for real-life situations they will encounter after graduation.

It is expected that all students entering the MFR degree program have previously completed a BS degree in forestry or a closely related natural resource program. At the UW, students enrolled in the ESRM-SFM option will normally meet all course-related entry requirements. For other applicants, some professional forestry coursework included in the SFM option might be required if not previously taken.

Students who have previously taken a course from the ESRM-SFM undergraduate course list cannot use it to satisfy MFR degree requirements. Instead, they must select an alternate, and preferably more advanced, course from the list of directed MFR electives shown below.

List of Approved Directed Electives for MFR

Forest Ecology/Biology:

ESRM 410 (5) – Forest Soils and Site Productivity

ESRM 441 (5) – Landscape Ecology

ESRM 450 (5) – Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

ESRM 478 (5) – Plant Eco-Physiology

SEFS 514 (4) – Advanced Forest Soil Fertility and Chemistry

SEFS 535 (3) – Fire Ecology

SEFS 541 (5) – Advanced Landscape Ecology

Measurement of Forest Resources:

SEFS 564 (3/5) – Advanced Forest Biometry

QSCI 480 (3) – Sampling Theory for Biologists

QSCI 483 (5) – Statistical Inference in Applied Research II

QSCI 486 (4) – Experimental Design

Management of Forest Resources:

ESRM 403 (4) – Forest and Economic Development in the Developing World

ESRM 420 (5) – Wildland Fire Management

ESRM 426 (4) – Wildland Hydrology

ESRM 428 (5) – Principles of Silviculture and Their Applications

ESRM 423 (3) – International Trade, Marketing and the Environment

SEFS 528 (3) – International Forestry

SEFS 524 (4) – Advanced Wildland Hydrology

Forest Resources Policy, Economics and Administration:

ESRM 400 (3) – Natural Resource Conflict Management

PB AF 403 (4) – Professional Leadership

Master of Environmental Horticulture (MEH) Degree

The Master of Environmental Horticulture (MEH) degree is a non-thesis degree designed for developing and mid-career professionals in environmental horticulture and related fields. It is not recommended for students who plan to continue in academia.

Program Requirements
The Master of Environmental Horticulture (MEH) program requires three to four quarters of course work in addition to two to three quarters of independent project work. A thesis is not required for this program, but a paper on an applied subject must be written. All requirements of the Graduate School and the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences apply. The following courses are program requirements for the MEH degree:

SEFS 500 Graduate Orientation Seminar

SEFS 503 Current Issues (must be taken every quarter each academic year)

SEFS 549 Urban Horticulture Seminar (must be taken each Fall each academic year)

SEFS 561 Public Presentation in Urban Horticulture

ESRM 331 / SEFS 590 Landscape Plant Recognition

In addition, at least 18 credits must be taken from the following list of courses:

Students must select additional courses in related areas of specialization. We encourage quantitative courses and those that provide analytical skills, GIS skills, etc.

A formal public presentation and written paper are required. The student will be advised on his/her project by a committee of 3 persons, including at least 2 SEFS faculty. The project will be completed as SEFS 601/600.